Short and Sweet
by Skulduggery's sidekick
Summary: Levi x Reader
1. First

Disclaimer: I don't own you or the characters from Attack on Titan. I only own this story.

I only watch the Attack on Titan anime and I don't read the manga so I'm going by what I've seen in the anime. Please excuse any mistakes that I've made and if you point out any of them to me, I will correct them immediately. Hope you guys enjoy this story and let me know what you think of it!

Attack on Titan

Short and Sweet

First

You had dreamt of joining the recon corps from when you were a teenager. Whenever they passed by town, you would stare at the logo on their uniform in admiration, hoping that you would, one day, be able to wear the uniform yourself and have their _Wings of Freedom_. But most of all, you wished to work alongside Captain Levi Ackerman, humanity's best soldier. While you were a trainee soldier, you had heard about his legacy and wanted to join his special operations squad. Luckily for you, you graduated with flying colours and were picked to be a part of Levi's special operations squad.

You had just arrived at the HQ of the recon corps at 5' o clock in the morning and were impatiently tapping your feet on the ground, waiting for somebody to show you to your room. You saw a woman with brown hair, tied up into a ponytail, and glasses walking towards you with a package in her hand.

"Welcome, (First name). Hope you haven't been waiting here for too long." she said warmly.

"No, I haven't, Ma'am." you replied respectfully.

"Relax, (First name), you can call me Hange."

"Yes, Hange." you said with a small smile.

"I'll take you to your room now. Everybody's still asleep but they're getting up in an hour so you can unpack your bags and chill out until then."

"Okay."

"Here's your uniform and your 3D manoeuvre gear, by the way. Hope you like them." Hange handed over the package to you.

"Thank you." you take it with a grin.

Hange lead the way as she told you more about the recon corps. You liked her instantly as she came across as a friendly person and you hoped that you would become friends with her. She stops in front of a room and turns to you.

"Here's your room, (First name). My room is four doors away so just give me a shout if you need anything." she gives you a wave before walking away.

"Thanks, Hange!" you call out before shutting the door.

You take half an hour to unpack your bags and put all your things in your cupboard. You then change into your new uniform and stand in front of a mirror to look at yourself.

_Perfect! _you think before picking up the swords from your 3DMG and walking out of your room. You head towards an open space outside the HQ, intending to practice using the swords so that you would be able to keep up with your new team mates.

Hange was passing by with Levi by her side, busy discussing their strategy for their next expedition, when Levi stops after seeing you.

"Who is she?" Levi asked Hange.

"She's the girl you recruited, (Full name). You know, the girl who graduated at the top of her class."

"Right, her. I think I'll have a word with her before training." Levi states before walking towards you.

You haven't heard Hange and Levi's conversation but you heard something approaching you from behind so you turn around with one of your swords raised high. Your sword was close to Levi's neck and Levi's eyes had widened in surprise. You immediately put down your sword and take a closer look at the man in front of you.

His black hair was short and straight and his grey eyes were rather frightening. He was as tall as you and you noticed that he had a good physique. He was wearing a white cravat with his uniform and, right now, he was also wearing a frown.

"Cadet (Last name), what the hell do you think you're doing?" Levi demanded.

"Sorry, sir." you apologised quickly.

"The enemies are the _titans_, not _humans_. So make sure that you can do that to a titan, brat."

"Yes, sir." you said before saluting him and strolling away.

"Wait, (Last name), how long have you been using those kind of swords for?"

"Only since I started training, sir."

"Doesn't seem like that to me." he said as his eyes narrowed.

"I… My younger brother and I used to like fighting with each other with butter knives when we were younger. We've both always wanted to join the recon corps so we used to do that kind of stuff as practice for the future. It was stupid but I guess that helped me get used to using these swords pretty quickly." you admitted with a shy smile.

Levi's facial expression softened slightly after hearing your story but his voice gave nothing away.

"Tch, whatever. Breakfast is served in another 15 minutes and training starts after that. I'll see you at training." he said before leaving the grounds.

Hange had seen everything and walked up to you with a grin.

"So… You finally met him."

"Hange, who is that?" you asked her.

"That shorty is Captain Levi Ackerman."

You were surprised to say the least. Your idol was so different from the way you had imagined him to be.

"What? You're kidding, right?" you laughed.

"Nope, that really is him. You got away with pointing a sword at him just because you're new here. If any other cadet had done that, he would have made him clean his office for a week! Don't worry, you'll eventually get used to it." she said before leaving you to ponder on her words.

_Woah, being a part of Levi's team is gonna be harder than I thought! _you think but you find yourself smirking at the challenges that lay ahead of you.


	2. Try me

Disclaimer: I don't own you or the characters from Attack on Titan. I only own this story.

I only watch the Attack on Titan anime and I don't read the manga so I'm going by what I've seen in the anime. Please excuse any mistakes that I've made and if you point out any of them to me, I will correct them immediately. Hope you guys enjoy this story and let me know what you think of it!

Attack on Titan

Short and Sweet

Try me

You were sitting and eating in the refectory by yourself. You were a born foodie so the fact that you didn't have company didn't bother you too much. But you were secretly pleased to see three girls approach you with their trays in their hands.

"Hi (First name), welcome to the team!" one of them said excitedly as they sat down beside you. "My name is Sasha and these are Mikasa and Krista." Sasha said as she pointed to the other girls respectively.

"Hey, guys!" you replied with a smile. "But how do you know my name?"

"Hange had told us that we'd be getting a new female squad member soon so we've all been pretty excited about your arrival." Krista admitted sheepishly.

"I'm pretty excited to be here too so I hope I can become friends with all of you." you said with a laugh.

"Definitely, (First name)." Mikasa smiled at you.

There was a sudden outburst of laughing from the other side of the refectory. You turned to see two boys sitting opposite each other; one of them was looking smug while the other looked angry and two boys sitting near them were laughing.

"What's going on?" you asked, confused by the scene in front of you.

"Eren beat Jean at arm wrestling. He always does because of his titan side." Mikasa grinned.

You had heard about the half titan, Eren, back when you had first joined the military and you were envious of his power. You found yourself getting up and walking towards him.

"(First name), where are you going?" Sasha called out.

"I'll be back." you shouted back to her.

All the boys looked at you curiously as you stopped in front of their table.

"Eren, wanna have an arm wrestling match with _me_?" you asked him.

Eren raised an eyebrow before grinning at you.

"You're (First name), right? The new squad member?"

"Yup, that's me. I know I could never take you on as a titan but I've wondered if I could beat you at arm wrestling as a human so…"

"Yeah, I'll take you on. But I'm warning you – none of the others have been able to beat me – except Levi." Eren sulked.

Jean got up to let you sit in front of Eren after giving you a thumbs up to wish you good luck. Eren places his arm on the table and you do the same. He clutches your hand tightly with a look of determination.

"Armin, give us a countdown." Eren asked the blond haired boy.

"Oh, right. 3, 2, 1… Go!"

You instantly feel Eren pushing your arm down with all his strength and you realised that he wasn't going to go easy on you. But you were pretty strong yourself so you used your strength to stop Eren from pushing your arm too close to the table. The boys were cheering for Eren and you were pleasantly surprised to see that the girls had come close to the table and were cheering for you. You looked at Eren's face and you could tell that he wasn't finding _this_ arm wrestling match easy because he was actually sweating! You grinned at him before finally giving it your all to push his arm back and he was shocked to see his arm moving closer to the table.

"No!" he shouted angrily.

You said nothing as you heard his arm hit the table loudly and everybody started clapping for you. You looked up to see how he would react and noticed that he was looking at you with awe and was struggling to speak.

"Not bad, (First name)." he managed to say after a pause.

"Thanks, Eren. You weren't so bad yourself." you said humbly.

"You were awesome, (First name)!" Sasha said as she gave you a friendly punch.

"It was nothing." you said with a smile.

"Cadets, what the hell is going on here?" came a loud voice.

All of you turned around to see Levi looking like he was going to kill his squad members.

"Sir, (First name) beat Eren at arm wrestling." Connie piped up.

"Sir, why don't _you_ go against (First name)?" Eren suggested as he got up from his chair.

"What?" you didn't like that idea at all. Levi looked at you for a long moment before taking Eren's place in front of you, which was his way of accepting the challenge.

"What's the matter, cadet (Last name)? Are you that afraid of me?" Levi said smugly.

"No!" you answered quickly. "Fine, let's do this. But if I win, you have to agree to give us all a day off and I can ask for it on any day I want."

Levi was surprised to see that you didn't seem afraid to speak your mind in front of him because most of the cadets feared to speak freely in his presence.

"Alright, brat, but that's not gonna happen anyway." he retorted.

"We'll see about that, sir."

You placed your arm on the table at the same time as Levi and he grasped your hand firmly. He looked resolved to beat you but you forced yourself to relax, knowing that you could beat him only if you were in the right frame of mind.

"Cadet Ackerman, give us a countdown." Levi asked Mikasa.

"Yes, sir. 3, 2, 1… Go!"

Levi was _much_ stronger than Eren. And the worst part was that he didn't even seem to be trying too hard. But you could hear your squad mates cheering for you and you were determined not to let them down. You were concentrating so hard that you didn't notice that Levi was looking at you with a somewhat amused expression on his face. He wasn't even looking at his arm because he was so confident of the fact that he would win, which was why he was shocked to hear his arm hit the table with a bang.

"Yes, (First name)!" Sasha, Mikasa and Krista shouted out simultaneously.

"Nice one, (First name)." Eren said with a grin.

The rest of the boys were smiling at you too and you noticed that Hange was also there, laughing loudly at the scene in front of her.

"Don't get too cocky, brat. I only let you win out of pity. But I'll keep my promise – I'll give all you idiots a break on any one day that cadet (Last name) asks for." Levi said before leaving the refectory with Hange.

Hange had an enormous smile on her face as she and Levi walked towards the grounds.

"What is it?" Levi sighed.

"I'm shocked, shorty. I was pretty sure that _you_ would win. Were you distracted by (First name)'s lovely eyes?" Hange asked teasingly.

Levi paused as an image of your (Eye colour) eyes flashed through his mind and he realised that his face had turned red in embarrassment.

"You were, weren't you?" Hange giggled.

"Tch, shut up." Levi glared at her, not wanting to admit that she just may have been right.


	3. Girls vs Food

Disclaimer: I don't own you or the characters from Attack on Titan. I only own this story.

I only watch the Attack on Titan anime and I don't read the manga so I'm going by what I've seen in the anime. Please excuse any mistakes that I've made and if you point out any of them to me, I will correct them immediately. Hope you guys enjoy this story and let me know what you think of it!

Attack on Titan

Short and Sweet

Girls vs Food

It had been two weeks since you had first arrived at the HQ of the recon corps and you were settling down well and feeling less and less homesick as the days went by. Hange, Sasha, Mikasa and Krista had become quite close to you and you enjoyed spending time with them whenever you could. Their rooms were right next to yours so the five of you would usually chat in the hallway before going to bed every night. You had also become used to Levi's ways, as Hange had predicted, and had come to realise that, in spite of his seemingly cold and disconnected attitude towards people, he genuinely cared about his squad members and wasn't afraid to risk his life to save them if they were in danger. If anything, you had come to like him even more and found yourself staring at him a couple of times before looking away and blushing, not knowing why you liked looking at him so often.

One afternoon, you were sitting in the refectory with Hange, Sasha, Mikasa and Krista and the five of you were eating lunch.

"So, (First name), we haven't asked you this till now but what do you think of the guys in our squad?" Sasha asked as she chewed on a chip.

"They're nice but not really my type." You said as you concentrated on your food and didn't look up.

Unfortunately, they all knew that you were lying and were hell bent on getting the truth out of you.

"(First name), don't even _think_ about lying to us. We know that you like somebody in our squad because we've seen you staring at this guy pretty much _all the time_." Hange grinned at you.

You choked on your food as you wondered if they had all really noticed you staring at Levi for the past few days.

"No, I don't." you said, doing your best to sound calm.

"That reaction says otherwise." Mikasa raised an eyebrow as she looked at you.

"I know! How about we have a bet, (First name)?" Sasha asked you.

"What kind of bet?" you replied cautiously.

"Why don't you and I have a competition with food? Whoever manages to finish 15 chicken wings in 15 minutes wins."

"That's easy. You're on. But what does the winner get?"

"If I win, you have to tell us the truth about who you like in our squad. If you win… I'll give you all my meals for a day and the four of us will never ask you a single question about the guy you like." Sasha said without hesitating.

"What? Why would _you_ of all people even think about doing something like that?" you asked her, knowing that Sasha was an even bigger foodie than yourself.

"Because I know that I'm gonna win."

"Fine, let's do this. But what if Levi sees this? And where are we gonna get 30 chicken wings from?" you enquired.

"Don't worry about all that. Shorty has plenty of paperwork to get through today so he probably won't come out of his office till evening. As for the chicken wings, leave that to me." Hange said before getting up from her chair and walking over to a trolley with a tray that had a lid on it. She pushed it towards the table you were all sitting at and lifted up the tray to reveal 30 chicken wings.

"What the… You guys planned this, didn't you?" you sighed.

"Maybe." Krista gave you a sympathetic smile.

Your gaze returned to Sasha, who already seemed to be drooling at the sight in front of her. You started putting 15 chicken wings on your plate as Sasha did the same. As you looked at your plate, you knew that you had to win this competition if you didn't want others to know about what you felt for Levi.

"Alright, girls. 15 chicken wings in 15 minutes. Your time starts… Now!" Hange shouted out as she looked at her watch.

You dug into the first chicken wing, savouring its flavour as you chewed on it. As much as you wanted to eat it slowly to enjoy it, you were aware of the fact that you would lose the competition if you were slow. You looked up to see that Sasha was done with her first one and was already chewing on her second one. You hurriedly finished your first one before moving on to your second one. 12 minutes later, you had managed to finish 11 chicken wings and Sasha was biting down on her 13th one. You felt like puking and couldn't eat anymore but you were surprised to see that Sasha had moved onto her 14th one and looked as pumped up as she usually did. As she starting devouring her last one, you raised your hands in defeat and Sasha gave you a triumphant smile as she put down the bones of her last chicken wing.

"Time's up, girls." Hange announced as she stopped her timer.

"You win, Sasha." you said with a frown.

"That's right, (First name)! Now you have to hold up your end of the bet. So… Who is it?" Sasha asked with an excited look in her eyes.

"I'm not saying anything here." you said as you pointed to the boys on the other side of the refectory.

"Fair enough. In that case, come with us." Sasha grabbed your sleeve, pulled you up from your chair and led you towards the girls' rooms. Hange, Mikasa and Krista followed the two of you, feeling a little sorry for you, even though they were also interested to know what you had to say.

The five of you approached Sasha's room; Sasha unlocked it and let the rest of you enter the room before closing the door and sitting on her bed. She patted the bed, encouraging all of you to sit on the bed next to her. You could feel your face burning up as you sat down next to her and Krista, wishing they would drop the topic.

"Yes, (First name), tell us who you like then." Hange said as she gave you a knowing smile.

"Do I have to?" you groaned.

"(First name), I didn't stuff myself with _that_ much chicken for no reason. Just spit it out already. We won't tell this to anybody if you don't want us to." Sasha promised.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you then. I think… I like Levi." you whispered to your friends.

The girls went silent before erupting into laughter and cheering at the tops of their voices.

"Guys, calm down!" you told them but you found yourself laughing at their reactions.

"We _so_ knew it!" Hange rolled her eyes.

"Hell yeah, it was so obvious!" Sasha laughed.

"Was it?" you felt seriously embarrassed by your actions.

"I don't think the guys noticed but we certainly did." Mikasa grinned.

"Does Levi know about this?" you asked worriedly.

"No way, shorty's pretty slow in these kind of matters." Hange reassured you.

"Good." you sighed in relief. "Hange, please don't say anything about this to Levi."

"Of course I won't!"

"Thanks, Hange."

"What do you like about Levi anyway?" Krista asked you curiously.

"Yeah, he's seriously mean. What's there to like about him?" added Mikasa.

"No, he isn't. He may put on a tough façade but he's actually a nice guy. He's smart, he really cares about his squad members, he's good at what he does and… He's kinda hot." you admitted as you blushed.

"Some of that's true but the rest..." Hange giggled.

"Are you planning on making a move on him?" Sasha asked you.

"No, I don't think he sees me in that way." you sighed.

"Oh I wouldn't say that's completely true, (First name)." Hange smirked.

"What do you mean, Hange?" you asked her in surprise.

"Oh it's nothing. But, from now on, you should do your best to attract his attention in any possible way. I'm sure you'll get a good response from him."

"We'll all help you with that, (First name)." Krista said as Sasha and Mikasa smiled in agreement.

"Thanks, guys." you gave them a grateful smile as you wondered what was going to happen between you and Levi in the next few weeks.


	4. Let it snow

Disclaimer: I don't own you or the characters from Attack on Titan. I only own this story.

I only watch the Attack on Titan anime and I don't read the manga so I'm going by what I've seen in the anime. Please excuse any mistakes that I've made and if you point out any of them to me, I will correct them immediately. Hope you guys enjoy this story and let me know what you think of it!

Attack on Titan

Short and Sweet

Let it snow

"Guys, do you think I should ask Levi for that day's break that he agreed to give us all at some point?" you asked Hange, Mikasa, Sasha and Krista as you were all having breakfast in the refectory.

"Of course you should, (First name)! In fact, I've come up with an idea for how we should spend that day and it's about time that I share it with everybody." Hange said eagerly. "Eren, Jean, Armin, Connie, get over here – I need to tell everyone something." she called out to the boys who were sitting on the other side of the refectory.

They immediately came over to the table where you and the girls were sitting.

"You called, Hange?" Eren asked.

"Yes, I did. This is the perfect time to tell you all what I'm planning because Levi isn't here yet. I think we should have a prom on the day we have a break. Would all of you be up for that?"

"Oh my God, yes, Hange, you're brilliant! That's a terrific idea!" Sasha grinned at Hange.

"That _is_ a good idea! I'd finally be able to wear the Tuxedo I have in my closet." Jean said thoughtfully.

Everybody liked Hange's idea and was already looking forward to their first prom. You found yourself imagining Levi in a suit and tie, looking even more handsome than he usually looked, but your eyes widened as you realised something important.

"Wait a second, Hange, does that mean _I_ have to ask his permission for holding a prom for all of us?" you asked her fearfully.

"Obviously! I'll also have to speak to Erwin about this but I'm pretty sure that _he'll_ be okay with this. It's just Levi that we really need to convince."

"And you think that I can?" you raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you can. Just go and ask him about it when you get a good opportunity to." Hange replied, clapping you on the back.

"Guys, look, it's snowing!" Sasha pointed to a nearby window.

All of you looked out the window and noticed that it was indeed snowing. It had not snowed in years so everybody was extremely happy to see that the grounds were getting covered with a white blanket of snowflakes.

"Snowball fight!" Connie exclaimed before running out of the refectory.

"I'm gonna kick your ass, Connie!" Armin shouted back as he, Eren and Jean followed Connie.

"C'mon, girls, let's kick _all _their asses!" Sasha said as she ran out into the snow.

You sighed but grinned as you, Hange, Mikasa and Krista ran after Sasha. Sasha had already started pelting the boys with snowballs and they were retaliating with even more force.

"Girls, help me out here!" she yelled as she got hit with a snowball from Eren.

"We're coming for you, guys!" you shouted as you threw a snowball at Eren's arm.

"You might have beaten me at arm wrestling, (First name), but you're not beating me in a snowball fight." Eren replied as he threw a snowball towards your shoulder.

"Cadets, Hange, what are you all doing?" Levi demanded.

"Sir, we're having a snowball fight and we're outnumbered because there's four of us and five of them. Please can you help us?" Jean pleaded.

"Cadet Kirstein, we have training to get through before doing anything else." Levi glared at Jean.

"Give it a rest, shorty. It's snowing after such a long time so let them play in the snow for a bit before beginning training. Besides, the boys could really use your help because they're losing _really_ badly." Hange laughed.

"Fine, I'll be on the boys' team. Let's finish this quickly though." Levi sighed.

"Yes, _now_ the game is on!" Eren grinned.

The fight between both teams continued and, to your shock, you hit Levi with a snowball by mistake as you were trying to hit Connie. You were afraid that he might react badly but, surprisingly, he just smirked at you before throwing a snowball back at you. You grinned as you picked up a large chunk of snow and made it into a huge snowball, deciding to focus all your efforts on Levi as he was the boys' strongest player. Both teams fought well but in the end, the boys won thanks to Levi. As everybody was walking to their rooms to get their 3DMG before starting training, you suddenly slid on the icy ground and nearly fell but a strong hand caught your arm before you could touch the ground.

"Tch, watch your step, Cadet (Last name)." Levi told you as he steadied you.

"Thanks, sir." you blushed as you regained your balance. "Um, sir, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if we could have that day's break that you promised us on the day after tomorrow..."

"Hmm, I guess that should be fine."

"Me and everybody else was thinking of having a prom on that day. Hange's said that there's never been one before but we all feel that it would be a nice event to organise. Would that be okay with you, sir?"

"What? That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Let me guess – _Hange_ came up with it but she got _you_ to ask me for my permission, right?" he asked.

"…Yes, sir. She also said that holding a prom might help me get to know everyone a bit better and that'll make it easier for me to work with everybody as a team." you totally made up that last sentence, hoping that it would persuade Levi to agree to Hange's plan.

"Tch, what a pain! Alright but it's up to Hange, you and the other cadets to get it sorted out. I will _definitely_ not be helping out with this nonsense." he agreed grudgingly.

"Thank you so much, sir! But you will be coming for it, won't you?" you kept your voice cool but you were secretly praying that he would agree to come for the prom too.

"I don't want to promise anything, cadet (Last name), it depends on my mood." he answered before continuing on his way.

You happily rushed ahead to your friends to tell them the good news.

"You did it, (First name), we owe you one." Mikasa smiled.

"I'm really looking forward to this." Connie grinned.

"Me too." you replied with a smirk.


	5. Prom

Disclaimer: I don't own you or the characters from Attack on Titan. I only own this story.

I only watch the Attack on Titan anime and I don't read the manga so I'm going by what I've seen in the anime. Please excuse any mistakes that I've made and if you point out any of them to me, I will correct them immediately. Hope you guys enjoy this story and let me know what you think of it!

Attack on Titan

Short and Sweet

Prom

"(First name), wake up, we have so much to do today!" you felt somebody shaking your arm as you were still in bed.

"Go away, I'm lying in coz we have a break today." you complained sleepily.

"Have you forgotten that we're having prom tonight? We need to start getting ready for that." Sasha insisted.

Your eyes flew open nearly instantly and you sat up and grinned eagerly at Sasha, sleep forgotten.

"Oh my God, I totally forgot about that! It really is today, isn't it?"

"Yes, silly. Everybody else has started breakfast already so come to the refectory as soon as you can."

"Okay, I'll see you there, Sasha."

You quickly brushed your teeth, got dressed and joined the girls for breakfast in the refectory.

"So do you guys know what you're gonna be wearing?" Hange asked you, Sasha, Mikasa and Krista.

"Yup, I've got my dress sorted out." Sasha replied.

"Same here." added Mikasa.

"I've got my outfit ready too." Krista joined in.

"What about you, (First name)?" Hange asked you when she noticed that you hadn't answered her question.

"I have a couple of dresses but I'd be embarrassed to wear any of them." you admitted.

"Why?" asked Krista.

"They're nice but they're not good enough for prom because I didn't _think _we were gonna have prom." you sighed.

"Is that all? Just show us your dresses and we'll help you accessorise one of them so that it'll look _amazing_ for prom." Sasha told you as you smiled at her gratefully.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"These are all my dresses, guys." you said as you laid down four dresses on your bed.

"I see what you mean, (First name), they're all pretty but too casual for prom." Mikasa commented as she eyed your dresses carefully.

"This one's not bad." Hange pointed to a red dress. It was made of lace, it had short sleeves and a sweetheart neckline and it came up to your knees.

"I really like that dress but I've worn it so many times so I'm a little tired of it." you confessed.

"Red would really suit you, though, so if you were to wear nice accessories with it, you'll look beautiful." Sasha said confidently.

"Really? What should I accessorise it with then?" you asked.

"I have a black belt that you can wear it with." Sasha replied.

"I have a red coloured flower wreath that you can wear in your hair." Hange added.

"I have a black bracelet and a pair of black earrings that you can borrow." said Krista.

"Since you and I have the same shoe size, you can wear my black high heels for tonight." said Mikasa.

"Thanks, guys. I hope I'm gonna look as good as you guys are gonna look." you grinned.

"Are you kidding me? _You're_ gonna look better than the rest of us." Hange laughed.

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You had finished dressing up with the girls in Hange's room and everybody was admiring themselves gleefully in a long mirror. Hange was wearing a light pink maxi dress with full sleeves and her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. Sasha was wearing a sleeveless sapphire skater dress and she had curled her hair for the occasion. Mikasa was wearing a little black dress with white accessories and she had worn a floral hairband as well. Krista was wearing a mint green bodycon dress with a beaded neckline and her hair had been tied into a fish plait.

"We look fabulous!" you exclaimed.

"We do! Levi won't be able to keep his eyes off you, (First name)." Sasha grinned smugly at you.

"Yeah, right, Sasha. I doubt he's even gonna show up." you snorted but hoped that Levi was coming.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Levi had decided to go for the recon corps' first prom after all. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt, red pocket square and red tie. He was adjusting his tie when he heard somebody knocking on the door. He opened the door to see Commander Erwin standing in front of him with a smirk.

"So you have decided to go for the cadets' prom." Erwin stated.

"I have no work to do this evening so yes, I am." Levi answered smoothly.

"I see. So it hasn't got anything to do with a secret interest in a certain female cadet then?" Erwin asked curiously.

"No." Levi lied quickly, guessing that Hange must have shared her suspicions about Levi's developing feelings for you with Erwin.

"Whatever you say. If you're ready, should we get going?"

"Sure."

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The boys were the first to arrive at the refectory in the evening, which was where the prom was being held. The girls had decided to keep a black and white theme so there were black and white balloons floating close to the ceiling. The tables and chairs were both white in colour and the chairs had black balloons tied to each of them. There was black and white confetti sprinkled on the tables and there were white candles in the centre of each table. Hange had arranged for there to be music so that they could all dance and Jean had agreed to be in charge of the music.

"Hange and the rest of the girls have done a great job." Eren remarked as he looked around the room.

"They have. I just hope that Jean's got good taste in music." Armin nodded at Jean, who was busy setting up the music system.

"Have some faith in him, Armin, I'm sure Hange asked him to arrange for the music for a reason." Connie laughed.

"Guys, look, it's Erwin and Levi. I didn't think Levi would show up to be honest." said Eren, pointing at the Commander and the Captain, who were helping themselves to soft drinks.

"Well, it _is_ our first prom but, yeah, I'm surprised too." added Armin.

"Who cares about them? The _girls_ have just arrived." Connie was staring at the girls with his mouth agape.

Levi and Erwin had turned to look at the girls too and Levi felt his breathing hitch as he looked at you. He was so preoccupied with staring at you that he didn't see Hange coming up to him and standing beside him with a full blown grin.

"So you came, huh?" she asked Levi, bringing him out of his trance.

"What? Yeah, I didn't have any work to do tonight so I thought I'd come and check out what you idiots have done with the place." he replied.

"Are you sure that you haven't come to check (First name) out then?" Hange nudged Levi knowingly.

"Tch, obviously not, stupid. I have better things to do with my time." said Levi defensively.

"Well, she's sure as hell looking at you, shorty."

Levi couldn't resist looking at you and, to his pleasant surprise, you were looking at him with a blush on your face, which only intensified when you saw him returning your gaze. Eren tapped you on the shoulder, making you look away from Levi, much to the captain's annoyance.

"Oh, hi Eren." you greeted him with a smile.

"You look really pretty, (First name)." Eren complimented you.

"Oh, thanks." you replied, surprised by his remark.

"Will you dance with me?"

"Um, sure." you replied politely, quietly wishing it was Levi that had asked you the same question.

Eren took your hand and pulled you towards the dance floor and the two of you started swaying to the music.

"(First name), there's something important I need to tell you." Eren said, looking serious.

"What is it, Eren?" you asked him.

He looked around to make sure that nobody was standing too close to both of you and cleared his throat before continuing speaking.

"The thing is… I like you, (First name). You're pretty, funny, smart and more than anything else, you're the _only_ girl who's been able to defeat me at arm wrestling." he admitted with a nervous laugh. "I know that we haven't known each other for that long but I'd like to be able to go out with you and get to know you better so…"

You remained silent for a minute, not knowing what to say to Eren. You had feelings for Levi and only liked Eren as a friend and didn't know how to tell him this without hurting his feelings.

"Um, Eren, the thing is -"

"Do you mind if I steal cadet (Last name) away from you, cadet Jaeger?" a familiar voice interrupted you.

You turned to see that it was Levi and you couldn't help but feel grateful to him for letting you avoid having a potentially awkward moment with Eren.

"N-Not at all, sir." Eren replied politely before giving you a small smile and leaving you and Levi alone.

"May I have this dance, cadet (Last name)?" Levi held out his hand as he did his best to hide the smile playing on his lips.

"Of course, sir." you said as you just about managed to hide your enthusiasm as you took his hand.

Levi put his arms around your waist in an almost protective manner, which made you smile as you slowly put your arms around his neck and began dancing.

"I'm glad you could make it, sir. I really didn't expect you to turn up." you admitted with a smile.

"Well, I didn't have much work to do today so I thought I'd attend the first prom we've ever had. Also, if I hadn't come here, I would never have gotten to see how beautiful you look, cadet (Last name)." Levi added before he could stop himself.

"Thank you, sir." you said as you lowered your head to hide the blush creeping up your face.

"What are you going to tell cadet Jaeger?" he asked you as his tone took on a more serious note.

"You heard what he said to me?" you asked him as you noticed that he was looking at Eren, who was with Armin and Connie, with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yes. Do you like him?" he enquired, feeling that he didn't have the right to ask you that question but couldn't help it because he wanted to know what was on your mind.

"No but I don't know how to tell him that without ruining our friendship." you confided in Levi.

"Oh don't worry about that. I'm sure he'd understand your feelings, cadet (Last name). Just don't be _too_ harsh on him. After all, he may be able to turn into a titan but he's still human at heart. " he smirked as he felt a sense of relief after hearing your words.

"I won't, sir." you replied with a grin.

"So how are you finding the recon corps so far?"

"I'm not gonna lie – it's tough. But being with the others makes it seem bearable and, sometimes, even fun."

"That's all thanks to Hange. If she was as serious as me and Erwin, I doubt you would have found the recon corps _fun_. But, even though I'd never say it to her, I do think it's a good thing that she lets you all enjoy yourselves a little because you'd go crazy if you stay here for long without letting loose at times." Levi smiled softly as he thought of his fun – loving friend.

"Sir, I think you need to do that too." you advised him.

"No, cadet (Last name), I don't think I can." he replied as his smile dropped as he remembered something that seemed to disturb him.

Before you could ask him anything more, though, you heard a loud crack and looked down to see that one of Mikasa's heels had broken.

"Oh great, Mikasa's gonna kill me." you muttered to yourself.

"What are you gonna do?" Levi asked you with a smirk.

"I guess I'm gonna have to go back to my room coz I don't want her to see her heels looking like this right _now_." you said as you took off the heels and held them in your hand while you stood barefoot on the cold floor.

"You're gonna walk to your room like that?" Levi raised an eyebrow as he looked at you.

"Well, I don't have any other options, sir." you pointed out.

"Actually, you do, cadet (Last name)." Levi replied after a pause as he bent down and, before you could realise what he was going to do, he was carrying you bridal – style.

"S-Sir, what are you doing?" you fumbled with your words as you felt your face turning red in embarrassment.

"Don't worry, we're quite close to the exit and everybody's too busy dancing so nobody's gonna notice us like this." Levi assured you as he started walking towards the door.

Once the two of you left the refectory and were in the grounds, the icy weather made you aware of Levi's soothing body heat as he held you close to his chest and you found yourself steadily relaxing in his arms. You had put your free arm around his neck, mostly because you were feeling cold but also because you wanted to enjoy the moment while it lasted. You looked up at Levi, wondering how he was feeling about this arrangement but his stoic expression gave nothing away.

"Sir, you don't have to do this. I must be heavy." you said nervously.

"Tch, don't be stupid, cadet (Last name). You weigh next to nothing." he chuckled.

"I'll take that as a compliment so thank you, sir." you laughed.

"Considering the amount of food you eat, I'm _surprised_ that you weigh next to nothing." Levi smirked.

When you said nothing, he looked down to see that your eyes had widened in shock and you were scowling at him. For some reason, this made him laugh and, with a jolt, you realised that you were seeing him laugh for the first time. His eyes were crinkled, his smile was blinding and he looked genuinely happy and carefree for the first time in years. And his laugh – it was like music to your ears and you were mesmerised by its sound.

"You should laugh more often, sir, it really suits you." you smiled smugly after Levi had stopped laughing.

"Don't you _dare_ say a word about this to anybody, cadet (Last name). If word about this gets out, it will completely ruin my image within the recon corps." Levi warned you.

"I won't, sir." you said as you rolled your eyes.

Unfortunately for both of you, Levi had arrived at the door of your room. He put you down as you found yourself wishing you could have stayed in his arms for a while longer.

"Thank you very much, sir." you smiled at him.

"Don't mention it, cadet (Last name). No, seriously, don't mention it." Levi added.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Hange, Erwin and everybody else will _never_ let you live it down." you grinned.

"Exactly." he chuckled at your reply. "Good night, cadet (Last name)."

"Good night, sir." you said as he turned to go to his room.

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So… This turned out to be a pretty long chapter but I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you for all the support I've got so far for this story and I hope you all continue to follow it. :-)


	6. Losses

Disclaimer: I don't own you or the characters from Attack on Titan. I only own this story.

I only watch the Attack on Titan anime and I don't read the manga so I'm going by what I've seen in the anime. Please excuse any mistakes that I've made and if you point out any of them to me, I will correct them immediately. Hope you guys enjoy this story and let me know what you think of it!

Attack on Titan

Short and Sweet

Losses

It was the morning after prom and you had gone to the mailroom to check your mailbox before breakfast. You had got a letter from your parents and that letter delivered the worst news you had ever heard in your life. Your younger brother had died after suffering from leukaemia for three years. You had been extremely close to him while you were living with your family and, while you never liked admitting it before, he had been your best friend back then. The two of you had grown up with dreams of joining the recon corps and before you left home, he had promised you that he would join you soon enough, in spite of knowing that he may not even have been able to live until his graduation.

You started crying as soon as you had read the letter and your tears fell on it, wetting it and smudging its words. You ran back to your room, locked the door and howled in pain while your sobs racked through your whole body. You sat on your bed and hugged yourself as your body shook violently and you gasped for air in between your sobs. Memories of your brother flashed through your mind, giving you an unbearable headache.

In the refectory, everybody had noticed that you hadn't turned up for breakfast yet and some of them were starting to get a little worried about you.

"Where is (First name)? It's not at all like her to be late for _breakfast_." Sasha said anxiously.

"She had told me that she was going to the mailroom before coming for breakfast when I saw her on the way here." Mikasa replied.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be here soon." Hange said coolly.

Your friends sat and waited for you in the refectory for half an hour more but you never showed up, which started to make them all feel uneasy.

"Training has started, ladies. What are you all still doing here?" Levi asked Hange, Sasha, Mikasa and Krista as he came to look for the female cadets in the refectory.

"Sir, we've been waiting for (First name) for almost an hour here but she hasn't turned up for breakfast yet." Krista answered worriedly.

"Tch, what is that brat doing? Okay, don't worry about her, I'll go and get her. You lot can start training. Hange, watch them until I get back." Levi said as he left the refectory.

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You heard somebody knocking loudly on your door, which made you stop crying temporarily.

"Who is it?" you asked, trying to sound as normal as you could.

"Cadet (Last name), open this door immediately. What have you been doing until now?" Levi demanded.

"Sir, please leave me alone. I don't wanna talk to anybody right now." you begged him, not wanting him to see you in your current state.

"I asked you to open the damn door and that's an _order_, cadet (Last name)." he raised his voice in anger.

"Alright, I'm coming, sir." you replied as you quickly wiped away your tears.

You unlocked the door and opened it slowly, hoping that you looked as normal as possible to Levi. But Levi's anger faded away as he saw your bloodshot eyes and he immediately knew that something was wrong with you.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice sounding a little more gentle than before.

"Nothing's wrong." you lied pathetically.

"You're a terrible liar. Just tell me the truth." he sighed.

You shook your head almost childishly, refusing to say another word. But he had noticed the damp letter in your hand and took it from you before you could stop him. His eyes skimmed through the letter and he looked visibly shocked by the time he finished reading it.

"Cadet (Last name), I'm so sorry." Levi said, feeling guilty for being angry with you a moment ago.

"Sir, please leave me alone. I'm not at all in the mood to talk to anybody." you stated, your voice breaking.

"I understand what you're going through so you can talk to me about this if you need to." he urged.

"I don't think you can because I doubt somebody like _you_ has ever lost somebody important." you retorted coldly as you turned to leave the room but Levi grabbed your hand, stopping you from moving any further. He twisted you around so that you were facing him and you saw that he looked even more serious than he usually did.

"I can because I've lost _two_ important people, okay? I lost my best friends, Isabel and Farlan, to the titans and the worst part was that _I'm_ partly responsible for their deaths. They were like family to me and I couldn't protect them because of the other _stupid_ agendas I had in mind at that time. I've kept my feelings bottled up inside me until now but you don't have to do that; you have Hange, Erwin, the other cadets and… You have _me_. You can tell me _anything_, cadet (Last name)." Levi said as he looked at you with nothing but concern in his eyes.

Levi's words caused you to start crying all over again and he did something you never imagined him capable of doing – he pulled you towards him roughly and hugged you. Your arms wound around him as your tears began to wet his shirt and you sobbed loudly on his chest.

"I'm sorry, sir. My brother meant the world to me and I can't imagine life without him. Me and my parents knew he didn't have long to live but that doesn't make his death any easier for us." you apologised tearfully.

"You don't have to apologise, cadet (Last name). I know what you mean." Levi said kindly as he let you cry for a long time.

"Cadet (Last name), I think you should go home for some time to see your parents." Levi told you as you dried your eyes.

"Why, sir? Aren't I needed here?" you asked, surprised by his suggestion.

"Of course you are but I think your parents need you even more right now. Don't worry about anything here, I'll let Hange and Erwin know what's happened and I'm sure they'll understand your situation."

"Okay, since you're insisting, I think I'll go back home for a week. But you need to contact me straight away if I need to come back for anything." you said after a pause.

"That's fine, take all the time you need." he said reassuringly.

"Thank you for understanding, sir." you managed to give him a weak smile.

"Think nothing of it, cadet (Last name)." he touched your shoulder sympathetically before leaving your room.


	7. Healing

Disclaimer: I don't own you or the characters from Attack on Titan. I only own this story.

I only watch the Attack on Titan anime and I don't read the manga so I'm going by what I've seen in the anime. Please excuse any mistakes that I've made and if you point out any of them to me, I will correct them immediately. Hope you guys enjoy this story and let me know what you think of it!

Attack on Titan

Short and Sweet

Healing

It had been a week since you left the recon corps' HQ to visit your parents after your younger brother had passed away. You and your parents organised a funeral for him but the ceremony did little to help you come to terms with his death. While you weren't ready to go back to the recon corps' HQ yet, you went back for your brother's sake as you knew that he would have wanted you to continue taking your job seriously, regardless of the circumstances. When you arrived at the grounds, you were shocked to see that many of the cadets were bleeding profusely. You spotted Hange in the crowd, who was cleaning a wound on Krista's leg, and rushed over to her.

"Hange, what happened here? Are you okay, Krista?" you asked anxiously.

"I'm so glad you're back, (First name). I'm fine, this isn't serious." she smiled before wincing as Hange applied more antiseptic cream to her leg.

"Oh thank God, you're here, (First name). These guys all went on an expedition and returned back in dreadful conditions. I guess the titans have become even more vicious and we didn't realise it. Erwin and I are tending to the cadets; Levi needs help too but he's insisting that we help the cadets first so can you please treat him?" Hange requested urgently.

"Of course, Hange." you replied as you grabbed a bandage and an antiseptic cream sitting next to her and left to find Levi.

Levi was leaning against a tree and you saw that his jacket had turned red in colour.

"Sir, are you alright?" you asked as you came up to him, realising a second too late that that might be a stupid question to ask.

"I see you're back, cadet (Last name). I'm fine, go and help the others." Levi answered calmly.

"You're clearly _not_ fine. Don't worry about the others; Hange and Erwin are helping them. I'm here to help _you_. What happened to you?" you asked as you knelt down beside him.

"Tch, that idiotic Connie nearly got swallowed by a titan and I managed to pull him out but my arm got temporarily stuck between that beast's jaws so I got this huge cut on my arm." he explained as he pulled up his sleeve to reveal a long gash on his arm with clotted blood around it.

"That looks awful." you hissed. "Why weren't you more careful, sir?" you asked, anger and concern seeping into your voice.

"I don't know, cadet (Last name), maybe it's because I can't get anything right without you." he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Wow, you missed me _that much_?" you joked, wanting to lighten the situation as you started applying the antiseptic cream to his arm.

"Oh please, don't flatter yourself. I meant you might have been able to help me if you were there too." he said hastily.

"Obviously." you grinned.

"Okay, forget about me. How are you? How are your parents doing?" he asked you.

"I'm okay. So are my parents. I've promised to write to them every day from now onwards so that they know what I'm up to 24/7." you smiled wistfully as you thought of your parents.

"That's good. And remember, we're all here for you." he reminded you.

"I know." you replied, feeling touched as you finished wrapping a bandage around his arm. "Okay, you're good to go, sir. Actually, wait, you may need to eat something to get your energy back coz you've lost a lot of blood."

You took off the backpack on your shoulders, unzipped the front pocket and pulled out a warm tiffin box from it.

"I had made some paella for myself at home in case I missed lunch time at the refectory but I think you need it more than I do so please have this." you said as you opened the tiffin box, which already had a spoon in it, and placed it in front of Levi.

"What? No, I can't have this – it's yours." he shook his head in refusal.

"Sir, please have it. For _my_ sake if not for yours." you pleaded earnestly.

"Fine, I will. But on one condition." he said thoughtfully.

"And what's that?"

"Get yourself a spoon from the refectory and share this with me. I'll feel guilty if I have this on my own."

"Um, you don't mind sharing this with me?" you asked in surprise.

"Tch, obviously not. So hurry up – looking at this _is_ making me hungry." he smirked.

"Fine, I'll be back soon." you laughed as you got up and went to the refectory. You grabbed a spoon and ran back to Levi, feeling a little hungry yourself.

"_Now_ can we begin eating?" you asked as you settled down on the ground beside him.

"Yes, we can." he said as he placed the tiffin box in between the two of you.

"Go ahead, sir. I want you to tell me what you think of my cooking." you grinned.

"If you insist." he put a spoonful of paella in his mouth and started chewing.

"Well?" you asked nervously as he swallowed.

"It's actually pretty good, cadet (Last name)." he sounded impressed. "It kind of reminds me of the paella that my mother used to make for me."

"Thanks." you smiled as you started eating too.

"Seriously. Wanna become the chef here?" he asked jokingly.

"No way, being a soldier's tough but I wouldn't give it up for anything." you said wryly.

"I'm kidding, we can't afford to lose you as a soldier. You're one of the best we've got." he said with a half – smile.

"You're complimenting me way too much today, sir. Are you okay?" you asked curiously.

"Oh shut up, of course I am." he glared at you.

You laughed and as you looked around at all your squad mates, you felt the pain that you had been experiencing recently subside and told yourself that everything was going to be okay because you had people that you could count on for everything.


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